Page 14 of Lore
“Atiana, I’m Rome, the club president, and this is War, our VP,” Prez introduces, giving her a quick once-over. Yeah, I know she’s fucking stunning—long dark hair, those doe eyes, and perfect pouty lips. Her slightly upturned nose is cute as hell, as are the splattering of freckles she has.
And don’t get me started on her body. Big tits, big ass, curvy hips, and a slightly rounded stomach. I love her stomach, and I’ve never understood why some women are so self-conscious about it.
But president or not, Rome had better keep his eyes and hands to himself. He might be older than me, but women flock to him, although he’s toned down his escapades since Ora has moved into the clubhouse.
“Can you tell us about whoever hurt you?” he continues. “And let us know what we’re dealing with here.”
She shifts in her seat and clears her throat. “He’s my husband, Trent Smith. He works in IT, or at least that’s what I thought he did. I thought he was a safe, kind of nerdy, normal nine-to-five guy. We had Dove, and then we got married the year after that. He started to become controlling, and I began to feel unsafe. And when he put his hands on me in front of my son, I knew I had to get out of there.”
My body turns to stone as I listen to her words, my fists clenching.
“You did the right thing calling me,” I manage to grit out. I want her to come to me, knowing she can always feel safe in doing so.
“He has connections,” she says softly, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what he’s into, but I know he works for criminals. I think he helps them set up offshore accounts. I’m not sure exactly, but one man stopped by my house when Trent wasn’t home. He looked dangerous. He told me if Trent didn’t contact him, he was going to drop by again, and I know it was a threat.”
I reach over and put my hand on her thigh, offering my support. She cuts her eyes to me but doesn’t push my hand away.
Small wins.
“No one will get near you or the kids while you’re here,” I promise her, gently tightening my grip.
“War, tell Blade and Angel to get in here. We’re going to find all we know about this Trent,” Prez announces, turning back to Atiana. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you and the kids need.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs, offering them both a small smile.
“Get Suit in here, too, so he can start working on getting her divorced,” I add, ignoring the amused looks Prez and War don’t bother to conceal.
“Yes, please,” Atiana mutters, not looking at me. “Although I don’t know what will happen with Dove. I guess when things die down, I’ll have to go to court to make sure he can’t take her.”
“Suit will handle all of that,” I assure her.
She turns to me and nods. “Thank you, Hunter.”
“You’re welcome,” I say as she stands, and I follow closely behind her as she leaves the room to head back to the children.
“Who is the hottie?” Rune asks with a charming smile as he passes us. He gives Atiana a slow once-over that makes me want to strangle him with my bare hands. When his gaze reaches her face, however, he instantly lays off the charm, his brow furrowing. “Want me to kill someone?”
“We’re handling it,” I fire back, silently daring him to say anything else. I step closer so her curves are pressed right up against my front.
Rune, just like his brother, Curse, is one of the tallest members at six foot five, and I fucking hate that he’s got that little bit of height on me.
It’s just a few inches.
But I know how much just a few inches mean to women.
His smile softens, and he offers her his hand. “Hey, darlin’. I’m Rune.”
“Atiana,” she replies, hesitating before accepting it.
“That’s some nice ink you have.”
“Thank you.” She beams, checking out his own. “Right back at you.”
“She designs tattoos,” I say proudly, interrupting their little moment.
“Really? You know, we could always use someone extra at our tattoo shop. We only just opened up last month,” Rune says, finally letting go of her hand. At least he toned down his flirty vibe the second he saw the bruises on her face.
“You’re a tattoo artist?” she asks, her face interested. “So am I.”
